Modern Stools
The late 19th and early 20th centuries saw sweeping social change and major scientific advances — both of which contributed to a new aesthetic: modernism. Rejecting the rigidity of Victorian artistic conventions, modernists sought a new means of expression. References to the natural world and ornate classical embellishments gave way to the sleek simplicity of the Machine Age. Architect Philip Johnson characterized the hallmarks of modernism as “machine-like simplicity, smoothness or surface [and] avoidance of ornament.”
Early practitioners of modernist design include the De Stijl (“The Style”) group, founded in the Netherlands in 1917, and the Bauhaus School, founded two years later in Germany.
Followers of both groups produced sleek, spare designs — many of which became icons of daily life in the 20th century. The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics. While Bauhaus principals Marcel Breuer and Ludwig Mies van der Rohe created furniture from mass-produced, chrome-plated steel, American visionaries like Charles and Ray Eames worked in materials as novel as molded plywood and fiberglass. Today, Breuer’s Wassily chair, Mies van der Rohe’s Barcelona chair — crafted with his romantic partner, designer Lilly Reich — and the Eames lounge chair are emblems of progressive design and vintage originals are prized cornerstones of collections.
It’s difficult to overstate the influence that modernism continues to wield over designers and architects — and equally difficult to overstate how revolutionary it was when it first appeared a century ago. But because modernist furniture designs are so simple, they can blend in seamlessly with just about any type of décor. Don’t overlook them.
Late 20th Century French Modern Stools
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Stools
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Stools
Foam
2010s American Modern Stools
Steel
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Stools
Metal
2010s Italian Modern Stools
Bouclé, Ash
2010s Ukrainian Modern Stools
Sheepskin, Fabric, Wool, Bouclé, Faux Fur, Abalone, Cotton, Linen, Acryl...
21st Century and Contemporary Dutch Modern Stools
Wood
2010s Czech Modern Stools
Clay
2010s Ukrainian Modern Stools
Metal
2010s Italian Modern Stools
Marble
2010s Dutch Modern Stools
2010s Ukrainian Modern Stools
Textile, Foam, Plywood
2010s Italian Modern Stools
Steel
2010s American Modern Stools
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary North American Modern Stools
Upholstery
2010s Portuguese Modern Stools
Metal, Steel
2010s Ukrainian Modern Stools
Metal
2010s South Korean Modern Stools
Stone, Steel
21st Century and Contemporary German Modern Stools
Wood
2010s American Modern Stools
Leather, Maple, Oak, Walnut
2010s Turkish Modern Stools
Leather, Wood, Oak
20th Century French Modern Stools
Oak
2010s American Modern Stools
Aluminum
21st Century and Contemporary English Modern Stools
Bronze
2010s Ukrainian Modern Stools
Metal
2010s American Modern Stools
Steel, Chrome
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Stools
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Stools
Marble
1950s French Vintage Modern Stools
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Stools
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Stools
Brass
2010s Modern Stools
Nickel
2010s Turkish Modern Stools
Fabric, Foam, Wood
1980s American Vintage Modern Stools
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Danish Modern Stools
Teak
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Stools
Leather, Wood
2010s Italian Modern Stools
Cedar
1940s American Vintage Modern Stools
Fabric, Maple
2010s French Modern Stools
Ceramic
2010s Swiss Modern Stools
Stone
2010s French Modern Stools
Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Stools
Cedar
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Stools
Brass
2010s Italian Modern Stools
Fur
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Stools
Marble, Carrara Marble, Stainless Steel
2010s North American Modern Stools
Lambskin, Leather, Fabric, Ash, Oak
2010s South Korean Modern Stools
Stone, Steel
2010s Swiss Modern Stools
Stone
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Stools
Fabric
2010s Belgian Modern Stools
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary European Modern Stools
Wool, Angora
2010s Austrian Modern Stools
Linen, Resin, Foam, Lacquer
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Stools
Gold Leaf
2010s Mexican Modern Stools
Steel, Nickel
Early 2000s Italian Modern Stools
Aluminum
2010s Mexican Modern Stools
Oak
2010s Italian Modern Stools
Marble
2010s Turkish Modern Stools
Wood, Oak
2010s Brazilian Modern Stools
Teak, Fabric, Upholstery